


to fall because of family, to rise for family

by lavilleons



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Donquixote Doflamingo Has Heterochromia Iridum, Gen, Moral Ambiguity, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Canon, Self-Indulgent, Slavery, Tenryuubito | Celestial Dragons | World Nobles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:20:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26336314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lavilleons/pseuds/lavilleons
Summary: (what use are the faint memories lingering in his mind, against the words and whispers of the people around him?)Saint Grimm Ornaveen is born with with faint memories of another lifetime. A lifetime where his cousins are mere characters in a tale, destined for ruin. Though, whatever happens to his cousins is no concern of his.Ornaveen just didn't realize how terribly dull his life is without his younger cousins, Doflamingo and Rosinante. That is the only reason why decides to explore the world, starting from the place the fallen Donquixotes are known to reside in.
Relationships: Donquixote "Corazon" Rosinante & Original Character(s), Donquixote Doflamingo & Donquixote "Corazon" Rosinante, Donquixote Doflamingo & Original Character(s)
Kudos: 20





	to fall because of family, to rise for family

_right and wrong start to blur_ _. who is lying? the people around him, or the memories that lingers in his mind?_

_(how would you know what is right and wrong when you grow up with people whispering that everything you do will always be right?)_

* * *

_I_

The world was in ruins. There are horrific events that occur throughout different countries. Death seems to be knocking in everyone’s doors.

Some welcomed Death, some tried to escape— but Death is always what’s waiting in the end.

Death waits.

Death takes.

Death is the end.

(… _supposedly_ _._ )

* * *

_II_

No one knows the boundaries between Death and Life, except Themselves. In the same length, only They are aware that there is another entity, like Life and Death, that makes sure that the cycle continues without errors.

This entity didn’t have a name, at first. It’s only to be expected, only Life and Death know of Them.

They didn’t mind. Though, as years passed by it was Death and Life who minded. It started to get confusing when They wanted to talk about Them. So, Life and Death began calling Them different names.

Death and Life to come up with the perfect name by combining theirs, but They outright refused it. They said ‘it was too ridiculous’, Life and Death begrudgingly agreed. ‘John’ was tried, but it was too plain. ‘Mary’ was the next, but it was also plain. More than a thousand names were tried, but it just didn’t fit Them. Death and Life was trying a little too hard, and was a little too serious about it. They also realized it was starting to interfere with the cycle They were taking care of.

‘I am Nothing.’ They said, only now, They are also Nothing. It may have been accompanied by exasperated air, but Life and Death realized it fit.

And so, between Life and Death there was Nothing.

* * *

_III_

( _the moment she died, he took his first breath_ )

The birth of a Celestial Dragon, who is pure of blood, is always a reason for celebration.

Thus, a party is thrown in honor of the successful couple and the child that they created with their union.

It was a party that would be one of the most memorable in their Holy Land. As it was the birth of the child of Saint Donquixote Paloma and Saint Grimm Heinrich, who both hailed from the main branch of their respective family’s.

It was a grand celebration to behold, for the Saint Donquixotes and their numerous branch families are passionate and lively. Different dances occur throughout the party, always having two things in common; fast and animated. The Saint Grimms, on the other hand, were well-known for their alcoholic beverages. The usual stern and aloof Saint Grimms, can be seen smiling or smirking with a face tinged red from the alcohol. A few of the Grimms who had lower alcohol tolerance compared to their other relatives, were already stumbling and making a great fool of themselves when dancing with a particularly skilled Donquixote.

The party merely started two hours ago, and even through the countless rules broken, it was obvious that the celebration would not end any time soon.

This was how Saint Grimm Ornaveen was welcomed to the world, with cheer, with dance, and with alcohol.

* * *

_IV_

Saint Ornaveen is a beautiful baby, no one could disagree. No one would disagree. Only because if they did, their life will be forfeit. Therefore, it is widely accepted that Saint Ornaveen _is_ a beautiful baby.

This is, fortunately, true. No one needs to lie.

Saint Heinrich and Saint Paloma expects that his beauty would follow him when he grows up, when he turns into an old man, and even when he is dead. They know their own appearance, and no one needs to lie so they can live. They do like to wonder, which side would their child’s appearance take after more.

Would he be like the Saint Grimms? Often called by the other families as statues come to life. Appearance chiseled to something close to perfection, with something cold lingering in their beauty. Or would he be like the Saint Donquixotes? Well-known for their sensual features, that makes almost everyone near them let their eyes roam their figures. Their flames of passion burn so bright, that one needs to make sure that they aren’t engulfed by it for their own survival.

* * *

_V_

( _sometimes, great parents aren’t necessarily good people_ )

This is who Saint Ornaveen is surrounded by as he grows: a mother that showers him in love without restraint, a father that isn’t as distant as he portrays, and countless relatives that do their best to form bonds with him.

( _This is who Ornaveen is surrounded by as he grows: a woman whose words led others to their death, a man that is a hunter at heart with countless ~~human~~ preys he can target, and countless relatives that find killing humans as easy as breathing._)

His parents give him everything he needs, be it time, attention, or toys. They make sure to spend time with Ornaveen, and speak to him with the languages of his ancestors. The languages that no one but the Celestial Dragons know of, the languages that they banned humans from using.

Paloma speaks in a language that sings. Her pitch constantly shifting with the words she says. Heinrich speaks in a language that growls. A language that is harsh, as others might say, but it is a comforting language, to those they treat as family.

They give him attention. They take note of every milestone their child reaches, and celebrate each in their own special way.

Heinrich carries Ornaveen to the forest that is their backyard, and speaks to him the names and uses of trees and plants, speaks to him the names and parts of animals and insects. He brings his child to the library, and tells him stories that range from fantasy to mystery. Paloma brings Ornaveen to the garden located just before the forest, and sings to him the names and meanings of the flowers, sings to him the names and uses of herbs. She brings her child to one of their music rooms, and plays to him the countless melodies she knows using either a harp, a piano, or a guitar.

They both bring their child to their very own kitchen, one where their servants and slaves are only allowed to clean while wearing gloves and masks. Heinrich cooks meat and greens, Paloma bakes pastries. Though, it isn’t always like that. Sometimes, Paloma wants to cook meals with spices that lingers in her mouth. Sometimes, Heinrich wants to bake pastries that can be savory. They also cook baby food that suits Ornaveen’s taste and needs.

They give him toys. Soft toys that are made with the best materials. Colorful toys that catch Ornaveen’s attention. Everything that he could possibly want, Heinrich and Paloma make sure to give.

They always make sure that each toy reach their standards. This is why it takes six months for them to find the perfect doll for Ornaveen, instead of the usual one or two months that newly born Celestial Dragons receive their dolls.

Ornaveen is beautiful, and it is only right for his doll to reflect that beauty even just a little. It also serves another role, and that is to protect Ornaveen with all of its might. The doll has round almond eyes the color of sapphire, ears that are a little pointed, and mouth full of sharp teeth. The nose already shows sign of growing straight with no crooks, and a chin that is not too long or too short. It looks like the doll would have high cheekbones. So far, the doll’s features show promise. It already shows signs of a moderately handsome face. It is a good face that would not bring Ornaveen any shame when he takes it with him anywhere, and would not steal attention away from him.

Other than the doll’s fine but feral features, another reason why it was chosen is because of its exotic coloring. It had bottle green skin that glimmers when hit by light in a certain angle, with gray hair that crowns its head. A faint number of blemishes can be seen across the bridge of its nose that extends to its cheeks, but it seems to fit the doll.

A fine doll with imperfections, exotic coloring, and can also serve as a guard.

As Heinrich and Paloma hear Ornaveen’s giggles and sees his smiles, they find themselves immensely pleased with their choice.

( _Grimm Ornaveen is a mere six months old when he owns his first slave._

_A slave that would be called ‘Doll’ until Ornaveen decides that it is worthy of a name. That is, if the doll can last that long._

_It is common knowledge that Celestial Dragons aren’t very careful with their toys, especially with their first ones._ )

* * *

_VI_

Many people visit Saint Grimm Heinrich and Saint Donquixote Paloma. It is only to be expected for they are born into the the main family of Grimm and Donquixote. Their relatives from the numerous branches of their family is expected to pay respects to them, especially to Ornaveen. Their youngest relative, who has the blood of two main families running through his veins.

Among them is Saint Donquixote Homing and Saint Donquixote (nee Durante) Beatrice.

Saint Donquixote Homing is one of the many cousins of Saint Paloma. They both have blond hair, and many of their relatives say that is where their similarities end. He doesn’t have any of the features that a Donquixote is supposed to have. His face is terrifyingly average. His body too stick-like. There is also his personality, which is entirely too nice. Nice, with no ulterior motives. It makes him strange in the eyes of the Celestial Dragons, stranger in the eyes of his relatives.

It makes others wonder if Saint Homing is truly a Donquixote, and a Celestial Dragon.

( _Countless blood tests took place after a young Saint Homing displayed his rather strange behavior. It did show that Saint Donquixote Homing is a Celestial Dragon, and a Donquixote. Though, it doesn’t stop his relatives from looking at him strangely, and it doesn’t stop the whispered rumors about him._ )

Though, the Donquixotes make sure to show a united front to other families. Which is why whenever other Celestial Dragons without Donquixote blood are around, they make sure to treat Saint Homing as they would any family member.

On the other hand, there is Saint Paloma. She treats her cousin the same way she treats her other relatives. Paloma accepts Homing’s strangeness, over any of their other cousins’ strangeness. The reason for that is because Homing’s peculiarity is sometimes refreshing, and not constantly annoying like other Donquixotes. It is the only reason why she finds it easier to spend time with him than with their other relatives.

It is nice, afterall, to take a break from constantly guarding yourself against your own cousins.

( _If Saint Paloma can use her cousin’s niceness for her own benefit, well, it is only to be expected. She is a Donquixote, in the end._ )

Saint Beatrice is similar to Homing. Born to one of the many branches of the Durante Family, and entirely too nice. The only difference between them is that, Saint Beatrice inherited the beautiful features that her family is known for. The Durante Family’s fine features that are often compared to the paintings of angels.

She had a halo of golden hair and milky skin. Her face is heart-shaped which houses full lips, an upturned nose, rosy cheeks, large brown droopy eyes with many lashes, and thin brows. Though, for all her beauty it was rather hard for her parents to find the appropriate husband.

Most parents would have married Saint Beatrice to a Celestial Dragon born to any main family. Her beauty was enough for her to achieve that. Her parents didn’t care about status, they are all Celestial Dragons in the end. This is why they put greater importance in Beatrice’s happiness. Her parents wanted her opinion, and wanted to check the personality of the man they would wed their daughter to. It didn’t matter if said man wasn’t from the main family line, they wanted a man that their daughter can love and would love her in return.

That is how Saint Homing ended up with a wife that many Celestial Dragons think is too good for him. Saint Beatrice chose him, and her parents approved of him.

* * *

_VII_

Everybody adored Saint Ornaveen. However, a few stood out.

Of course, there are his parents. Saint Heinrich and Saint Paloma. Among his Donquixote relatives it is his cousin and his wife, Saint Homing and Saint Beatrice, who stood out. In the Grimm Family, every single one of his relatives adored him to a frightening degree. The Grimms aren’t obvious with their affections, which is why their willingness to carry and hug Ornaveen are apparent signs of their love for him.

( _The Grimms are family. They are not merely tied by their blood, but also by their bonds. Many Celestial Dragons seem to forget the importance of forming bonds with relatives, but it is not a mistake that the Grimm Family would make. They protect each other from those that are not family. They make sure to spend time together , to share experiences with one another, and simply be there for each other._

_They are one of the few families in Mary Geoise that do this._ )

Some of Saint Paloma’s relatives wonder about the adoration of Saint Homing and Saint Beatrice to Saint Ornaveen. Paloma and the Grimms are the only ones who know the reasons for Homing and Beatrice’s conduct.

Other than the fact that they truly do adore Ornaveen, it is also a form of practice for them when they start having children. Saint Paloma is mildly impressed by their actions. Though, truthfully speaking, if the only reason they formed ties with Ornaveen is to treat him as a _practice dummy_ of all things they would have been ruined.

Saint Homing and Saint Beatrice should be thankful that Saint Paloma managed to convince her husband and his family to stop planning an ‘accident’ for the couple. They are still preferable than the other relatives that Paloma has, and that saved them. It also helps that they truly do love Ornaveen.

That doesn’t mean that Saint Paloma would just let it go.

( _Whispers begin to reach Saint Homing’s ears. Whispers that say that he is not a god, but a human much like those that live beyond the Holy Land. The whispers linger in his mind, it makes him question what he truly knows. He doesn’t consult anyone with his thoughts. Homing listens to what the whispers tell him, and draw his own conclusions from there._

_He never notices the too wide smile that appears on Saint Paloma’s face whenever he and his wife visit._ )

* * *

_VIII_

As Saint Grimm Ornaveen grows, much attention is given to him.

His adorable appearance plays a part in it, and so does his personality and actions.

He has olive skin with golden undertones. The platinum blond hair that crowns his head is heavy and falls into soft curls. It also shows signs of lightening as he grows bigger, and would probably appear white when hit by light in the right angle. His amber eyes are in that certain stage of being too big and his nose too small, making it hard to determine how exactly it would look like in the future. These features, along with having soft rosy cheeks, makes him an adorable toddler.

Ornaveen is indeed an adorable toddler, and his personality certainly endears him to countless people. It shrouds him in an irresistible aura that people often fall prey to.

( _Like a moth to a flame._

_Like an angler fish with its lure._

_Like a venus flytrap biding its time for its victim._

_He waits._ )

He is both silent and lively. Silent when reading his own choice of literature. Lively when he is asking questions with merit, playing outside their mansion, and chatting with anybody that is willing to lend an ear. He is intelligent and innocent. Ornaveen already has a significant vocabulary with his mother and father’s language, as well as the language that is spoken by the humans that leave beneath them. His reading and writing skills will only continue to improve, and so will the other skills his parents are imparting to him. He is intelligent in his innocence, pulling the wool over many of his relative’s eyes and ears, making sure they are unaware of his insults and manipulations.

( _He looks at the people around him with crescent eyes and too wide smiles, hiding too cold eyes and his own set of sharp teeth. He hears his mother say names of their relatives followed by insults, hears his father say humans with the same tone as prey, and he hears a voice inside his head telling him-_ wrong, wrong, wrong.

_He does not hear his doll’s voice, but he can see what it wants to say._

_‘Kill me. Kill me. Kill me. I am already dead inside. Kill me. Kill me. KILL ME. I AM ALREADY DEAD—’_

_When he looks closer, he can also see the whispers hidden behind every plea._

_‘Save me.’_

_Ornaveen doesn’t care, but fragmented memories insists he_ should.)

His parents don’t notice the times when he stares blankly without seeing what is in front of him. His relatives don’t notice the times when he turns his head in different directions, wanting to find the faint voices he often hears. His father doesn’t notice the words that spill out of his mouth, and only labels them as gibberish. His mother doesn’t notice the music he hums, and instead pinches him for the disturbance.

( _Nobody notices how he looks fascinated at his baby cousin with mismatched baby blue eyes and blond hair, who is named Doflamingo._

‘ _You are doomed,’ Ornaveen thinks the moment he sees the eyes of his cousin. ‘Doomed to the waves beneath the Holy Land, for the imperfections you carry.’_

_Doflamingo wears goggles with dark lenses before he is even a year old. His parents say that his eyes are sensitive to light, and it is the reason Doflamingo needs to wear it ar all times._

_Ornaveen knows otherwise. He knows beneath the dark lenses lay mismatched eyes that can be the cause of Doflamingo’s early death if other people are to know of it._ )

* * *

_IX_

Saint Ornaveen is nearing four years old when he is no longer the youngest in his mother’s side of the family.

He knows that it will happen at some point, and Ornaveen never worries about it. He is quite aware that even if he is no longer the youngest Donquixote, much attention will still be given to him. Saint Ornaveen is different from the Saint Donquixote Doflamingo, son of Saint Homing and Saint Beatrice. He is merely a child born from the union of two branch members that belonged to the Donquixote Family and Durante Family. Saint Grimm Ornaveen is born from the direct line of the Donquixote Family and Grimm Family, and no one lets him forget about the blood that runs through his veins.

Many of his Donquixote relatives would point out that the celebration that takes place for his newborn cousin’s birth is pathetically average when compared to his own. Ornaveen isn’t quite sure why they need to point it out. It is obvious that their stations are different, did his relatives expect anything else?

Sometimes, Ornaveen wonders if his relatives from his mother’s side of the family even think before they speak.

His mother promised that they only need to partake in the celebration for a while, and ‘for a while’ can be translated into ‘no less than two hours’. He would admit that the Donquixotes skill in dancing are the best among the Celestial Dragons and is always spectacular to watch, but it is also a sight that he’s already seen quite a number of times. Thus, Ornaveen is quickly losing interest in the party.

It does not help that the Durante prefer playing their musical instruments than drinking alcohol. The lack of drunken people makes the celebration a little too dull for his tastes. Ornaveen knows his father feels the same. Saint Heinrich’s thinned lips and indifferent amber eyes says it all.

It is a good thing that they do not intend to stay long.

Ornaveen needs to pass time one way or another. Since his father appears to have finished interacting with those he wanted to, it would be fine for the two of them to converse with each other.

Father and son talk about the different tales that originated from the kingdom of their ancestors, and they were in the middle of one particular tale about a princess, a frog prince, and a loyal servant when Saint Paloma finds them. She notifies her husband and son that they can now take their leave from the celebrations, only after they say their farewells and such. 

Ornaveen hopes that the celebration doesn’t dictate how his newborn cousin’s personality would be. He doesn’t think he could stand his cousin if he’d be so terribly _dull_.

* * *

_X_

Many Donquixotes thought that Saint Homing and Saint Beatrice would lessen their visits to the Grimm Mansion. This is because now that they have their own child, it is their duty to entertain the relatives that visit their home to see Saint Doflamingo. This did not happen. The visits did not lessen, they came by more often than before. Always bringing with them the recently born Saint Donquixote Doflamingo.

Saint Ornaveen knows his parents are both pleasantly amused by their actions and doubting of their intentions.

Though, the increase in visits are getting bothersome. Ornaveen usually doesn’t mind their visits, since both Homing and Beatrice are fascinating to observe. But, there are his birthday preparations to consider, since his birth day is unbelievably close with his younger cousin’s. A mere eight days apart.

Ornaveen doesn’t delve deeper as to why their birth day’s are uncomfortably close with one another. There are some things that are best left alone.

His mother, Saint Paloma, is already done with her part on the celebration. Which is why she is the only one who can spend time with Saint Homing, Saint Beatrice, and the newborn Saint Doflamingo. His father, Saint Heinrich, still needs to speak with his family about the amount of alcohol that would be distributed in the celebration, along with other details. Him, on the other hand, needs to hone his skills that would be put into display on the celebration.

Afterall, this is the second celebration where other Celestial Dragons can take part in. The first celebration being the very year and day Saint Ornaveen was brought into the world.

Nothing too remarkable, for Saint Grimm Ornaveen will only be turning four years old and there are limitations that a child faces. The best skills that he can showcase is his ability in speech, his motor skills, and his discipline. He isn’t quite sure of his standing when compared to others of his age group. He doesn’t mind not being the best, but being the worst would devastate him.

He awaits the celebration with a smile on his face and a heart quivering in anticipation.


End file.
